Canada vs United States: Fertilizer use by nutrient
Canada
3.12 million tonnes
in 2023
United States
11.43 million tonnes
in 2023
Canada rank
6th
United States rank
3rd
Fertilizer use by nutrient over time
- Canada
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 11.43 million tonnes against 3.12 million tonnes in Canada, a difference of 8.31 million tonnes.
That makes United States's figure about 3.7 times Canada's.
Across all 63 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Canada ranks 6th and United States ranks 3rd of 201 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 207,728 tonnes | 4.78 million tonnes | 4.57 million tonnes | United States |
| 1970s | 567,831 tonnes | 8.53 million tonnes | 7.96 million tonnes | United States |
| 1980s | 1.15 million tonnes | 9.76 million tonnes | 8.61 million tonnes | United States |
| 1990s | 1.48 million tonnes | 10.87 million tonnes | 9.39 million tonnes | United States |
| 2000s | 1.70 million tonnes | 11.12 million tonnes | 9.42 million tonnes | United States |
| 2010s | 2.52 million tonnes | 11.87 million tonnes | 9.35 million tonnes | United States |
| 2020s | 2.93 million tonnes | 11.63 million tonnes | 8.69 million tonnes | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fertilizer use by nutrient, Canada or United States?
- United States, at 11.43 million tonnes against 3.12 million tonnes in Canada as of 2023.
- What is the difference in fertilizer use by nutrient between Canada and United States?
- 8.31 million tonnes, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and United States?
- 63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
- How do Canada and United States rank globally for fertilizer use by nutrient?
- Canada ranks 6th and United States ranks 3rd of 201 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Fertilizer use by nutrient. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Fertilizer use in the agricultural sector, which includes use for crops, livestock, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture.